Friday, June 7, 2013

Alignment of Local Government and Local Development

- Government policy outlined

The
Programme for Government committed to reviewing the delivery of services at
local level in order to improve service delivery from the point of view of the
citizen. It has committed to reducing the duplication of services while
ensuring greater democratic accountability in decision-making at a local level.

One
initiative through which this will be achieved is the alignment of local
government and local development sectors in a way that builds on the strengths
of both sectors.

A
high level Alignment Steering Group was established in September 2011 by
Minister Phil Hogan to make recommendations on improving alignment between the
sectors.

The
Group’s final report (including the text of an interim report) was approved for
implementation by Government last October.

Alignment
forms part of the broader Local Government reform proposals as laid out in
‘Putting People First– An Action
Programme for Effective Local Government’.

The
alignment of local government and local development will be pursued on a phased
basis over the period 2012-2014, in a way that will secure optimum value from
available resources and enhance service delivery for local communities.

The alignment report recognised “the key
strengths of local development companies, including their reach into their
communities, their proven track record of leading social inclusion and local
and community development initiatives, and their significant local knowledge
and expertise in service planning and delivery.”

It noted: “The approach and ethos of the local
development companies, based on community involvement, and interventions
tailored to address particular local needs, are fundamental elements of the
local development model in Ireland. Considerable care should be taken to
maintain the integrity of this model.”

Further information including the full reports
are available on the Department’s website: http://www.environ.ie

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